Apparatus for processing products in frangible containers



June 25, 1968 s. A. MENCACCI APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING PRODUCTS IN FRANGIBLE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 18, 1966 INVENTOR SAMUEL A. NENGAGCI BY M n.

A'ITORNEY June 25, 1968 s. A. MENCACCI APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING PRODUCTS IN FRANGIBLE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 18, 1966 m \QIIIMH. mm 0N. u 0N NM wN .N: Q A ON m 0 mm X o W. c Q: 00 mq Nm NM 0: o w: m mw m. m Rm mm EA. mm U M .m w w m? 0 ATTORNEY June 25, 1968 S. A, MENCACCI 3,389,788

APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING PRODUCTS IN FRANGIBLE CONTAINERS Filed March l8, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Z INVE R SAMUEL A. CACCI 2b BY M W ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,389,788 APPARATUS FOR PRGCESSING PRODUCTS IN FRANGIBLE CONTAINERS Samuel A. Mencacci, Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium, as-

signor to International Machinery Corporation S.A., St. Nilrlaas-Waas, Belgium, a corporation of Belgium Filed Mar. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 535,533 9 Claims. (Cl. 20974) The present invention pertains to heat treatment apparatus such as rotary cookers and coolers and more particularly relates to defective container detecting apparatus for subjecting frangible containers to thermal shocks and for discharging any containers broken as a result of the shocks imparted thereto prior to introduction of the containers into the heat treatment apparatus.

When handling frangible containers such as glass jars in the well known reel and spiral type rotary cookers or coolers, a certain amount of breakage will occur due to defective containers. This breakage usually occurs when the containers are subjected to a thermal shock such as when they are moved into the steam atmosphere in a pressure cooker, or are moved out of a steam atmosphere into cooling water in a rotary cooler. It will be appreciated that if the broken containers are allowed to accumulate in the bottom of the rotary cooker or cooler, that the broken glass, jar tops, and other debris resulting from the breakage must periodically be cleaned out of the cooker or cooler, and that the broken containers may also interfere with sound containers moving through the apparatus thereby causing additional breakage.

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide a defective container detector for applying a thermal shock to frangible containers prior to introducing the containers into a heat treatment apparatus.

Another object is to provide a defective container detector having means for separating the broken containers from the sound containers and for periodically discharging the broken containers from the detector during normal operation of the associated heat treatment apparatus.

Another object is to provide an improved heat treatment apparatus for handling frangible containers.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following de scription and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a rotary heat treatment apparatus having the defective container detector of the present invention associated therewith, certain parts of the heat treatment apparatus and detector being cut away and other parts being shown in section.

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation looking in the direction of arrows 22 of FIGURE 1, certain parts of the treatment apparatus being cut away and parts of the defective container detector being shown in section.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged section taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged section taken along lines 44 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged section illustrating a fragment of the defective container detector of a second embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged vertical section through a third embodiment of the defective container detector which detector includes a rotor having sealed pockets.

FIGURE 7 is a section taken along lines 77 of FIG- URE 6.

The heat treatment apparatus 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2) may be a rotary cooker or cooler of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent 2,536,115 which issued to "ice,

Paul C. Wilbur on Jan. 2, 1951. The apparatus 10 may also be operated under the same or similar temperatures and pressures as those disclosed in the Wilbur patent.

In general, the heat treatment apparatus 10 comprises a pressure tight chamber 11 which includes a cylindrical housing 12 having end plates 14 and 16 through which a reel shaft 18 projects and is journalled. A reel 20 is supported by the shaft 18 for rotation there-with and includes a plurality of spaced spider wheels 22 having a plurality of evenly spaced container supporting pusher bars 24- rigidly secured thereto. A spiral track 25 extends from the inlet end 26 to the outlet end 23 of the heat treatment apparatus 10 and is secured to the cylindrical housing 12v in position to receive containers supported by the pusher bars 24 and to advance the containers longitudinally of the housing during rotation of the reel.

Containers C are fed into the chamber 11 by a bucket conveyor 30 (FIG. 2) which discharges the containers into pockets P of the rotor 32 of a pressure feed valve 34. The containers are then transferred from the pockets P to pockets P1 of the rotor 36 of the defective container detector 40. The sound containers are transferred from the pockets P1 into the pusher bars 24 while the broken containers are discharged from the defective container detector 40 through a valved accumulator 42. After being advanced through the heat treatment apparatus 10, the sound containers are discharged from a. pressure discharge valve 44 which is similar to the pressure feed valve 34 and includes a pocketed rotor 45 (FIG. 2). The reel 20, the bucket conveyor 3%, the feed valve rotor 32, the discharge valve rotor 45, and the rotor 36 of the defective container detector 40 are continuously driven in timed relation by a motor 46. The motor 46 is connected to one end of a stub shaft 48 (FIG. 2) 'by a chain and sprocket drive 50. The other end of the stub shaft 48 is connected by a chain drive 52 to a drive sprocket 54 which is journalled on a drive shaft 56 that is journalled in bearing brackets 58 secured to the housing 12.. A clutch and brake assembly 60 of standard well known design is provided to Seletively connect the drive sprocket 54 to the drive shaft 56 and is controlled by a lever 62 which, when in one operative position, releases the brake and engages the clutch and when in another operative condition engages the brake and releases the clutch.

When the clutch and brake assembly 60 is connected in driving engagement with the drive shaft 56, power is transmitted to pinions 64 keyed to opposite ends of the drive shaft 56. Each pinion 64 meshes with the large gear 66 of a double gear 68 secured to a stub shaft 70 journalled in a bracket 72 secured to the housing 12. A smaller gear 74 of each double gear 68 meshes with a bull gear 76 keyed to the adjacent end of the reel shaft 18. The rotor 36 of the defective container detector 40 is keyed to a shaft 78 which is driven by a pinion 80 that meshes with the bull gear 76 at the inlet end 26 of the heat treatment apparatus 10. The feed valve rotor 32 is keyed to a shaft 82 which is driven by a gear 84 keyed thereon, which gear 84 meshes with a gear 86 keyed to the shaft 78. The bucket conveyor 36 (only a fragment being illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2), includes a pair of drive sprockets =88 that are keyed to a shaft 90. The shaft 90 is connected to the shaft 78 by a chain drive 92. The discharge valve rotor 45 is keyed to a shaft 94 (FIG. 1) having a pinion 96 thereon which meshes with the bull gear 76 at the outlet end 28 of the heat treatment apparatus 10.

As mentioned above, the heat treatment apparatus 10 may be either of cooker or a cooler. If milk is the product to be processed, the process may be carried out in accordance with the pressure and temperatures set forth in the aforementioned Wilbur patent. It is to be understood, however, that the specific processing pressures and temperatures form no part of the present invention since they will vary according to the particular product being handled. It has been determined however, that a thermal shock sufiicient to break defective frangible containers occurs when a temperature differential greater than about 50 F. occurs between the container and the heating or cooling medium.

If the heat treatment apparatus is a cooker, any suitable heating medium may be used such as saturated steam or a steam-air mixture maintained at approximately 250 F. to 260 F. as indicated in the Wilbur patent. If a steam-air mixture is used, the steam may be introduced into the housing 12 through a conduit system 100 (FIG. 2) while the air enters the housing through another conduit system 102 (FIG. 1). If the heat treatment apparatus is a cooler, the coolant is preferably water which enters the heat treatment apparatus through the conduit 100 and may be maintained under pressure by a non-condensable gas such as air, if desired. It is to be understood, however, that the cooler may be an atmospheric cooler.

Since the heat treatment apparatus may be either a cooker or cooler, the term heat transfer medium as used in the specification and claims will be understood as covering both the cooking and cooling mediums, which mediums will be introduced into both the chamber 11 and the defective container detector container 40.

As shown in more detail in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, the defective container detector 40 cooperates with and is disposed between the pressure feed valve 34 and the housing 12 of the treatment apparatus 10. The feed valve 34 and the detector 40 include spaced side walls 106- and 108 which are secured to the cylindrical housing 12 and which have stub shafts 82 and 78 journaled therein with the rotors 32 and 36 disposed therebetween. A pair of generally cylindrical casings 110 and 112 are bolted between the walls 106 and 108 and encompass the rotors 32 and 36, respectively. The casing 110 has an inlet opening 114 therein for receiving containers from the bucket conveyor 30. An intermediate opening 116 is disposed between the two casings 110 and 112 for allowing the containers to be transferred from the pockets P in the rotor 32 to the pockets P1 in the rotor 36 of the defective container detector 40. Any containers which are broken in the pockets P1 by application of the heat treatment medium applied thereto drop through an accumulator opening 118 while the sound containers move there past and are discharged through a discharge opening 120.

It will be particularly noted that the rotor 36 of the defective container detector 40 is not sealed to the casing 112 or to the side walls 106 and 108, and accordingly, any gaseous heat treatment medium in the apparatus 10 will also flow into all pockets P1 of the rotor 36 and will pass through the intermediate opening 116 into the pressure feed valve. A valved conduit 122 and manifold 124 are also connected between the detector 40 and the conduit system 100 through which the heat treatment medium enters the defective container detector 40 in order to supply a portion, or all, of the heat treatment medium directly from the conduit 100 rather than from the apparatus 10. Thus, if the heat treatment apparatus 10 is a cooler, cooling water of the desired temperature flows directly from the conduit 100 to the defective container detector 40 and is discharged from the detector 40 through the discharge opening into the housing 12. When using the detector 40 as a cooler, the coolant water may be maintained either at the exact temperature of the coolant water in the housing 12 or may be maintained at a temperature several degrees lower than that of the temperature of the water in the housing 12. It is to be understood that this temperature differential between the housing water and the water entering the detector 40 should not exceed about 5 F. thereby assuring that an unnecessarily large thermal shock is not applied to the containers.

Similarly, when the detector 40 is used on a cooker, the valved conduit 122 may be closed thereby relying only on the temperature of the heat treatment medium in the housing 12 to supply the necessary thermal shock. However, it is to be understood that a portion of the heat treatment medium may enter the detector 40 through the conduit 122 and manifold 124 at a temperature equal to or greater than, but preferably not to exceed approximately 5 F. above that of the heat treatment medium in the housing 12.

Since the detector 40 performs no pressure blocking functions, it will be appreciated that the pressure valve 34 must perform this function. Accordingly, the pressure feed valve 34 includes transversely extending packing bars 126 which are fitted in slots 128 formed in the rotor 32 between each pocket P. The packing bars 126 are urged outwardly against the inner periphery of the casing by springs 130. Annular packing rings 132 are urged against opposite sides of the rotor 32 by springs 134 which are held thereagainst by retainer cups 136 screwed into the side walls 106 and 108. Thus, the packing bars 126 and packing rings 132 cooperate to provide a substantially fluid tight seal for each pocket P, and accordingly, for the inlet opening of the pressure chamber 11.

As mentioned previously, the introduction of a heat transfer medium into the tester 40 which differs from the temperature of the container walls by more than about 60 P. will cause the containers to be subjected to a thermal shock which is sufficient to break the defective frangible containers. These defective containers are moved by the rotor 36 into registration with the accumulator opening 118 and fall through this opening into the valved accumulator 42. The sound containers are held from discharge through the accumulator opening 118 by an -arcuate rail 140 (-FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) which extends longitudinally across the opening 118 at the transverse midpoint thereof.

The accumulator 42 (FIGS. 1 and 2) comprises a conduit 144 which communicates with the accumulator opening 118 and has a normally open gate valve 146 of any standard well known design bolted thereto. An accumulating pipe section 148 has one end bolted to the valve 146 and has its other end bolted to a normally closed gate valve 105.

During operation of the heat treatment apparatus 10, the motor 46 is energized and the clutch of clutch and brake assembly 60 is engaged thereby continuously driving the bucket conveyor 30 (FIG. 2) in a clockwise direction, the rotor 32 in a counterclockwise direction, the rotor 36 is a clockwise direction, and the reel 20 in a counterclockwise direction. The gate valve 146 is opened and the gate valve 150 is closed. The heat treatment medium is directed through the conduit system 100 into the housing 12, and if the heat treatment medium is a gaseous medium such as steam, this medium also enters the defective container detector '40 and accumulator 42 from the housing 12. The closed gate valve 150 and the feed valve 34 cooperate to retain the heating medium at the desired operating pressure.

As the containers are transferred from the pressure feed valve 34 to the defective container detector 40 through the intermediate opening 116, they are contacted by the heat treatment medium and are subjected to a thermal shock which is equal to or greater than any thermal shock which would have occurred if the containers were moved directly from the feed valve 34 into the housing 12 of the heat treatment apparatus 10. Thus, the containers which are defective will be broken by the thermal shock and will be advanced by the rotor 36 onto the arcuate rail 140. The broken containers will pivot sutiicient-ly about the rail 140 to fall therepast into the accumulator, whereas the containers which are sound fill the pockets P1 to such an extent that they cannot pivot sufficiently to fall out of the pockets P1.

The broken jars, the caps, and the product within the broken jars, are collected within the accumulator 42. Periodically the upper valve 146 is closed and the lower valve 150 is opened to empty the debris from the accumulator 42 onto a take away conveyor or the like (not shown). Although the accumulator pipe section 148 is illustrated as being a vertically disposed pipe, it will be understood that the capacity of the accumulator 42 may be increased by providing a longer pipe section which is inclined, or by providing a pipe section which is larger in diameter than that illustrated.

A modified form of the defective container detector 40a is illustrated in FIGURE 5 and may be used in the heat treatment apparatus in place of the detector 40. All parts of the detector 40a are identical to those of the detector 40 with the exception that the arcuate rail 140 '(FIGS. 3 and 4) is omitted and the accumulating opening 118a of the valved accumulator 42a is partially defined by an arcuate edge 160 which projects inwardly a sulficient distance from the stationary annular ring 162 against which one end of the containers abut to support that end of all sound containers during movement of the containers past the opening 118a. As shown in 'FIGURE 5, the pockets Pla of the rotor 36a are open at one end permitting the adjacent end of the container to engage the ring 162 and edge 160 while the other end of all sound containers are wedged against a ring 164 bolted to the rotor 36a so as to close the other end of the pockets P111. Any containers C which are broken by a thermal shock imparted thereto while the containers are in the pockets Pla will not be strong enough to remain intact when wedged between the rings 162 and 164 and, accordingly, will fall through the opening 118a into the accumulator disposed therebelow.

It will be particularly noted that the ring 162 is bolted to the wall 106a and, accordingly, is stationary, while the ring 164 rotates with the rotor 36a. Thus, any container C which is broken but tends to remain rigid when wedged between the rings 162 and 164 as illustrated in FIGURE 5, is subjected to a twisting force which will aid in weakening the broken container thereby causing it to fall through the opening 118a into the accumulator 42a.

All components of a third embodiment of the defective container detector 40b illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7 are identical to those associated with the detector 40 (FIGS. 1-4) except that the pockets Plb of the rotor 36b are individually sealed to the cylindrical casing 112]). In order to seal the pockets Plb to the casing 112b, transversely extending packing bars 170 are fitted in slots 172 formed in the rotor 36b between the pockets Plb, and are urged outwardly against the casing 11% by leaf springs 174. Annular packing rings 176 (FIG. 7) and 178 are urged against the sides of the pockets Plb by springs 180 which are supported by retainer cups 182 screwed into the walls 166b and 108b. The defective container detector 4% operates in a manner similar to that of the detector 40 with the exception that the heat treatment medium, whether a coolant or a temperature elevating medium, must enter the individual pockets Plb through the conduit 1221; and the manifold 12%.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the defective container detector of the present invention is arranged to subject the frangible containers to a thermal shock prior to introduction of the containers into a heat treatment apparatus such as a rotary cooker or cooler. Any containers which are broken by the thermal shock are discharged from the normal path of travel of the sound containers and are collected in an accumulator for periodic discharge from the heat treatment apparatus independently of the movement of the sound containers and during normal operation of the heat treatment apparatus.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention of the scope of the appended claims.

The present invention and the manner in which the same is to be used having thus been described, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for detecting and separating defective frangible containers from sound containers comprising means for supporting and continuously moving the frangible containers along a predetermined path past a re stricted broken container opening and through a sound container inlet opening, means for subjecting the containers to a heat treatment medium while moving along said path for imparting a thermal shock to the containers sufficient to break the defective containers prior to movement of the containers past said restricted opening, means at said restricted broken container opening for controlling the discharge of the broken containers from said path through said restricted opening while permitting the sound containers to move therepast and means for maintaining the containers under superatmospheric pressure when moving along said predetermined path.

2. In a heat treatment apparatus which includes a cylindrical housing having therein a continuously rotating reel surrounded by a spiral for advancing frangible containers from a sound container inlet opening to a discharge opening, the combination of means for supporting and moving frangible containers along a predetermined path past a restricted broken container opening and into the sound container inlet opening, means for subecting the containers to a heat treatment medium while moving along said path for imparting to the frangible containers a thermal shock sufiicient to cause the defective containers to break, and means at said restricted broken container opening for controlling the discharge of the broken containers from said path through said restricted opening prior to entry of the containers into the cylindrical housing while permitting the sound containers to move there-past.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said means for supporting and moving the frangible containers com rises a generally cylindrical casing having said restricted broken container opening and said sound container inlet opening therein, a driven pocketed rotor journalled in said casing and having pockets evenly spaced therearound, and feed means for directing the containers into the pockets of said rotor.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the pockets of said rotor are individually sealed to said casing.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the heat treatment medium enters the pockets of said rotor through said sound container inlet opening.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said heat treatment subjecting means includes a manifold communicating with the pockets of said rotor at points between said feed means and said restricted broken container opening.

7. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said controlling means comprises an arcuate longitudinally extending rod connected to said casing and disposed at the transverse mid-point of said broken container opening to restrict said opening.

8. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said rotor includes pockets which are closed at one transverse end and opened at the other end, a stationary plate rigid with said casing and disposed immediately adjacent the open end of said pockets, said casing including an arcuate edge which defines a portion of said broken container opening and which is adjacent said plate and underlies the adjacent portion of said pocket, the length of sound containers and the distance between said plate and the closed end of said pocket being such as to retain sound containers wedged therebetween with one surface of said container being supported by said arcuate edge when the containers are being moved past said restricted openin g, said arcuate edge being incapable of supporting broken containers which are shorter than said sound containers thereby allowing the broken containers to fall through said restricted container opening.

9. An apparatus according to claim 2 comprising means for maintaining said containers in a high pressure atmosphere during movement through said path, and accumulating means included in said controlling means for collecting a supply of broken containers, said accumulating 10 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1945 Gettelman 209-90 9/1956 Menoher 7315 M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

R. A. SCI-IACHER, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,389,788 June 25, 1968 Samuel A. Mencacci It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 3, line 7, "50 F." should read 60 F. Column 4, line 45, "105" should read 150 Signed and sealed this 17th day of March 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR DETECTING AND SEPARATING DEFECTIVE FRANGIBLE CONTAINERS FROM SOUND CONTAINERS COMPRISING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND CONTINUOUSLY MOVING THE FRANGIBLE CONTAINERS ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH PAST A RESTRICTED BROKEN CONTAINER OPENING AND THROUGH A SOUND CONTAINER INLET OPENING, MEANS FOR SUBJECTING THE CONTAINERS TO A HEAT TREATMENT MEDIUM WHILE MOVING ALONG SAID PATH FOR IMPARTING A THERMAL SHOCK TO THE CONTAINERS SUFFICIENT TO BREAK THE DEFECTIVE CONTAINERS PRIOR TO MOVEMENT OF THE CONTAINERS PAST SAID RESTRICTED OPENING, MEANS AT SAID RESTRICTED BROKEN CONTAINER OPENING FOR CONTROLLING THE DISCHARGE OF THE BROKEN CONTAINERS FROM SAID PATH THROUGH SAID RESTRICTED OPENING WHILE PERMITTING THE SOUND CONTAINERS TO MOVE THEREPAST AND MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE CONTAINERS UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE WHEN MOVING ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED PATH. 